<B>Lighting </B>Says lighting designer Don Darnutzer: "The lighting for 'Richard III' will be as sharp, angular and broken as the main character of the play. By the end, and the death of Richard, the lighting will be resolved by a pure white healing light." Pictured are light and smog through a medieval "stained glass" window lined with the apostles. It's based on one in Westminster Abbey. The stained glass is actually Mop 'N Glo mixed with dye, painted on Plexiglas.

<B>Costumes </B> Says costume designer David Kay Mickelsen: "The clothes for 'Richard III' are based on, but not limited to, the play's original setting in 1485. We felt we were dealing with a certain level of historical context that couldn't be ignored. And we didn't allow that context to dampen our conceptual presentation of the characters and their actions. I have maintained the quality of the original silhouette, but have applied a number of fashion trends and fabric modifications from the original period through today's high-fashion trends." Pictured is Nisi Sturgis as Lady Anne in mourning, who's being wooed by Richard to become his bride.

They are among the unsung heroes of the theater — the designers whose vision establishes the look, feel and mood of any play. The work of lighting, costume and scenic designers can reveal as much about what a play wants to say as any line of dialogue, though it’s up to audiences to extrapolate their own meanings.

For example, consider that the medieval castle that dominates the Denver Center Theatre Company’s upcoming production of “Richard III” is lined by a moat of skulls. Evocative, without a doubt. But what does it mean?

For once, let these talented artists have their say. In words.

“It was important to us as a team to acknowledge visually that this story is the culmination of all the bloody brawls of the War of the Roses,” said scenic designer David Barber. “This house is built, quite literally, on the rubble and bones of all of those who were sacrificed before.”

Here is a rare look inside the minds of the production’s accomplished visual artists.

Scenery: David Barber

“We wanted to do the show more or less in its intended me dieval setting, but embracing some anachronisms that give it a slightly harder, more consciously modern and masculine edge. I hoped to create a space that is complex, multilayered and both reflective and translucent a hall of mirrors that reflects the duplicitous dealings of the court. I also wanted to explore all the options that the Denver Center’s Stage Theatre space offered us for movement, allowing the director to bring actors into the space from below, above and all angles.”

Costumes: David Kay Mickelsen

“The clothes for ‘Richard III’ are based on, but not limited to, the play’s original setting in 1485. We felt we were dealing with a certain level of historical context that couldn’t be ignored. And we didn’t allow that context to dampen our conceptual presentation of the characters and their actions. I have maintained the quality of the original silhouette, but have applied a number of fashion trends and fabric modifications from the original period through today’s high-fashion trends.” Pictured is Nisi Sturgis as Lady Anne in mourning, who’s being wooed by Richard to become his bride.

Lighting: Don Darnutzer

“The lighting for ‘Richard III’ will be as sharp, angular and broken as the main character of the play. By the end, and the death of Richard, the lighting will be resolved by a pure white healing light.” Pictured are light and fog through a medieval “stained glass” window lined with the apostles. It’s based on one in Westminster Abbey. The stained glass is actually Mop ‘N Glo mixed with dye, painted on Plexiglas.